John Friend and Ram Dass Team Up To Teach About Yoga and The Bhagavad Gita Sept. 23-27 Maui Vision Magazine August/September, 2009 By: Edie Weinstein-Moser

John Friend, founder of the hatha yoga style called Anusara, describes it as a “magical blend of a very uplifting, life-affirmative Tantric philosophy, an elegant set of universal alignment principles, and a rockingly creative, highly diverse community of yogis from around the world.” They refer to this far-flung family of practitioners as a ʻkula.ʼ

With heart-centered intention, Friend shares that “every pose comes from a deep desire to reveal the essential creative delight rocking in our hearts” and that it arises “from our desire to know ourselves at the very center of our spirit, and to create more beauty and love in the world.”

Friendʼs yoga practice began in 1972 and flowed into teaching in 1980. He had an impressive lineage of teachers who inspired and trained him, including B.K.S. Iyengar, Patabhi Jois, and Desikichar. With a diverse set of interests, he “began to compile a set of alignment principles for asana which I called the Universal Principles of Alignment. Then I got very turned on by Tantric philosophy after meeting Gurumayi Chidvilasananda. The combination of the Universal Principles of Alignment with the life-affirming Tantric philosophy was very different than any other hatha yoga style, so in 1997 I founded Anusara yoga.”

Regarding the global-wide shift that is occurring, Friend offers, “Yoga and Anusara in particular can assist people around the world to more skillfully ride the ever-mounting wave of change and consciousness-shifting. We can help people see the new technologies as means to increase our awareness of the interconnectedness of all people and of all life. We can choose to use our new technologies to help bring increased freedom from suffering, and to bring increased freedom to celebrate life. Also, Anusara can help everyone learn how to find a peaceful center in a swirling storm of rapid global shift.”

From September 23-27, Friend will team up with such amazing kindred souls as Ram Dass and musicians Donna DeLory and Ty Burhoe. He describes the event: “One of the very cool things of this event is that Ram Dass taught me a lot about the Bhagavad Gita almost 30 years ago, and then in recent years I helped teach Ty Burhoe about the Bhagavad Gita. So, in Maui this September we will be representing a lineage of three generations of students of the timeless teachings of the Bhagavad Gita. The three of us are all very bhakti-oriented, so I think participants will then be inspired to apply the Gita teachings into every part of their lives at any age with a lot of love and devotional celebration.”

Friend continues, “The Bhagavad Gita has the power on different levels to help one awaken. Even the translated words of Shri Krishna are Shakti-filled so one listening or reading these words can have an awakening in their heart. Also, the teachings of Krishna are the Truth, so they can bypass the mind and go straight to the heart. Even so, the teachings of the Gita are very pragmatic and so can be applied to real-time situations in our modern world in order to help us awaken. The first time I read Krishnaʼs words in the Gita when I was just 13 years old I melted into a puddle of tears of love for God. This was one of the great awakenings of my life.”